When Governor James Stirling first surveyed the Swan River in 1827, it is hard to imagine that he could have foreseen the significant role the river would play in the lives of Western Australians for generations to come.

Nearly 40,000 years earlier, the Wadjuk people also used the river in much the same way as we do today.  She was a fertile source of food, ceremony and recreation, playing a pivotal role in the lives of the Wadjuk people.

Once a year the Wadjuk would make their annual journey of celebration from the hills along this beautiful waterway down to Fremantle (Mundjah).  The women walked along the southern shore teaching their young children all they needed to know to live before gathering at Point Walter (Djoondalup). The young boys travelled the northern shore where they completed the rites of passage to walk the land as men.  They would then swim across the river where the great sand bar lies to be reunited with their women.

The river was part of the dreaming and the story told of when a tall spirit woman with long white hair towered across the landscape. She followed a giant serpent called Wagul, a strand of her hair falling to create the sandbar at Point Walter.

Today these stories come alive in a 90 minute tour of the Swan River that introduces passengers to both the Indigenous and European heritage of the River.  You ’ll see traditional Aboriginal hunting weapons and fishing nets whilst learning about the importance of the Swan River to the local Wadjuk People.  The boat will moor in the still of Blackwall Reach and an aboriginal elder will tell the oldest Dreamtime story in the world.

Our new world-class vessel is designed and built for this type of cruising – covered open-air seating will give close interaction with nature and the small group size (maximum 42 passengers) will create an intimate and unique atmosphere.